Quantum theory of many-body systems. Techniques and applications (Q1386209)

The book is a textbook on quantum theory of many-body systems with applications to condensed matter physics. It is based on an appropriate graduate lecture course and contains an account of basic ideas and techniques of the theory. The approach is based on the mathematical formalism of quasiparticles and Green's functions. All the main versions of diagram techniques for normal and superconducting systems both in and out of equilibrium are brought together. Many examples are drawn from mesoscopic physics. The basic topics are the following: Green's function for one-particle systems, Feynman path integrals, general perturbation theory and second quantization, zero-temperature formalism for many-body systems, Matsubara formalism for finite temperatures and the Keldysh technique for essentially nonequilibrium systems, and the Nambu-Gor'kov technique for superconductivity, including phase transition, elementary excitations and transport, Andreev reflection, Josephson effect. Each chapter includes a set of problems. The book is primarily intended for graduate students with knowledge of standard quantum mechanics and statistical physics and can also be useful for specialists working in other fields.